NorthShore
Member
Date of Hike: Friday 2/19/2016
Trail Conditions: Icy, lots of boilerplate
Special Equipment Required: Crampons, Ice Axe
Comments:
Weather: doesn't get much better than this. Teens on the summit with light - moderate winds. No wind until the summit cone on the way up, then just enough to make it more comfortable. High clouds didn't kill the bluebird skies until around 1PM
Synopsis: a lot of rain a couple of days ago and it is all frozen now.
If you are stout of heart, you can get up to the hut with microspikes, but I don't recommend it (I did it and it was a bad idea). Snowshoes can work on most of the Ammo but weren't necessary today and the extra traction of the crampons was the better choice. Above the hut is mostly boilerplate. I saw someone doing a full presi run wearing only spikes and doing an interesting tap dance to hit as many rocks as possible on the way down the summit cone and moving quite rapidly, but for mere mortals full crampons and ice axe is the way to go, including on the top mile of the Ammo.
I put crampons on when I reached the hut and didn't take them off until I was back to my car at the Cog. Once below the steep part of the Ammo they weren't necessary most of the time, but still were the better choice for a few short sections. Missed a few short glissade opps that way, but it beats an injury. Take the top of the Ammo seriously and you'll have a good day. Ditto the Crawford Path to the summit where you could have an unfortunate slide if you fell and didn't self arrest. Trickiest part seemed to be the last quarter mile and especially the last few yards up to the hut (while wearing microspikes)
Monroe has some tricky ice spots too, especially that one ledge that seems tricky even in the summer.
Trail Conditions: Icy, lots of boilerplate
Special Equipment Required: Crampons, Ice Axe
Comments:
Weather: doesn't get much better than this. Teens on the summit with light - moderate winds. No wind until the summit cone on the way up, then just enough to make it more comfortable. High clouds didn't kill the bluebird skies until around 1PM
Synopsis: a lot of rain a couple of days ago and it is all frozen now.
If you are stout of heart, you can get up to the hut with microspikes, but I don't recommend it (I did it and it was a bad idea). Snowshoes can work on most of the Ammo but weren't necessary today and the extra traction of the crampons was the better choice. Above the hut is mostly boilerplate. I saw someone doing a full presi run wearing only spikes and doing an interesting tap dance to hit as many rocks as possible on the way down the summit cone and moving quite rapidly, but for mere mortals full crampons and ice axe is the way to go, including on the top mile of the Ammo.
I put crampons on when I reached the hut and didn't take them off until I was back to my car at the Cog. Once below the steep part of the Ammo they weren't necessary most of the time, but still were the better choice for a few short sections. Missed a few short glissade opps that way, but it beats an injury. Take the top of the Ammo seriously and you'll have a good day. Ditto the Crawford Path to the summit where you could have an unfortunate slide if you fell and didn't self arrest. Trickiest part seemed to be the last quarter mile and especially the last few yards up to the hut (while wearing microspikes)
Monroe has some tricky ice spots too, especially that one ledge that seems tricky even in the summer.
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